Miyazato places second in World Match Play

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (AP) Ai Miyazato watched Lee Seon Hwa birdie putt disappear into the hole, then turned and trudged up the steep hill behind the 15th green.

Ai Miyazato watches a putt roll on the 16th green during her semifinal round against Maria Hjorth of Sweden at the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship in New Rochelle, N.Y. on Sunday. Lee Seon Hwa beat Miyazato 2 and 1 in the final. AP PHOTO

The hill only took a few big strides to scale. Climbing out of a 2-down hole with three to play against Lee was way too much for the little Japanese star to overcome Sunday in the final of the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship.

Never giving Miyazato a chance to catch up, Lee followed the pivotal birdie on the par-4 15th with another on the par-5 16th, this time for a halve, and ended the 2-and-1 victory with one more birdie on the downhill, par-3 17th.

Lee, the rookie of the year last year after lapping Miyazato to win the final ShopRite LPGA Classic, knocked off 12th-seeded Miyazato after beating No. 10 Kim Hyun Mi 2-up in the morning in an all-South Korean semifinal.

After Miyazato cut Lee's lead to one hole with a conceded birdie on the par-4 14th, Lee took the 15th with a 6-foot birdie putt after Miyazato missed an 8-footer.

"That was a very important putt," Miyazato said.

They halved the 16th with birdies — Lee holed a 7-footer and Miyazato followed from 4 feet — and Lee ended the match with an 8-foot birdie putt on the 17th. Miyazato had about 5 feet left for birdie, but the match ended when Lee's putt tumbled in.